Omphalion, a photo from Istanbul, Marmara

Photographer's Note

After having spent the extended weekend (Fall break) near Auburn, Alabama with my son and daughter-in-law, we are back. (Yes, the same son who went with me on this trip got married in July.) I continue with my photos from Hagia Sophia.

This is the Omphalion. Omphalion literally means 葬little omphalos鋳 (navel of earth). It is an opus sectile (cut work) panel, consisting of 32 rotae (wheels) of different size of marbles, including red & green porphyry, green and pink granite ones. It was used for the coronation the Byzantine Emperors.

Exif Data:
Make: Canon
Model: Canon PowerShot SX70 HS
Software: Adobe Photoshop 22.5 (Macintosh)
Exposure Time: 1/60
F-Stop: f/3.4
ISO Speed Ratings: 320
Focal Length: 3800/1000 mm
Date Taken: 2021-05-26 09:46
Metering Mode: Center Weighted Average
File Size: 2181 kb
GPS: 41.00844925833868, 28.980011125721017

ikeharel, pajaran, jemaflor, Fis2, holmertz, jimmyjimmy, jhm, ricardomattos, PaulVDV, ChrisJ has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Silvio1953 (221695) 2021-10-20 22:53

Ciao Murat, great perspective on fantastic interioor, lovely composition with a lot of people, wonderful colors, beautiful clarity, splendid light and excellent exposure, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

pajaran (115963) 2021-10-20 22:54

Pozdrav.

Lep pogled i trenutak, dobar tekst ...
Lep enterijer i detalji, dobro pokazano sa lepim bojama, kontrastom, perspektivom i uhvacenim trenutkom.
Dobar rad sa lepim fotografijama u radionici.
Lep enterijer.
Srecno vencanje sina.
Dobar tekst o koriscenoj tehnici i elementima snimka.

Zelim vam sve najbolje.
Paja

jemaflor (147204) 2021-10-20 23:10

Hi Murat,
Great architecture, an interior perfectly photographed and so presented with your view, nice result with these lights, tfs.

ifege (48135) 2021-10-20 23:29

Hi Murat
For some reason I didn't take any photos in Hagia Sophia so this series is good for jogging my memory. An excellent on of the interior.
cheers
Ian

Fis2 (170839) 2021-10-21 0:38

Witaj Murat!
A very nice set of photos.
Impressive interior, chandeliers are impressive.
Good frames, colors and light.
Nice presentation.
Well done.
Good morning.
Krzysztof

holmertz (102760) 2021-10-21 0:47

Hello Murat,
I remember the interior generally but not quite the details (only 51 years ago...), so this is a good reminder. I like the warm light of the lamps and their reflections in the tiles on the floor, and I don't mind at all the crowds of visitors in the background. We get a good idea of the beauty of the... building, and you handled the light well.
Regards,
Gert

vjmite (6586) 2021-10-21 2:59

Hi Murat,

The exposure is excellent here, without much burning out of the highlights but showing plenty of detail in the shadows. The composition enables us to see both the omphalion on the floor and the amazing ceiling decorations. I like the way the omphalion reflects the golden light from the chandeliers.

Vince

jimmyjimmy (6164) 2021-10-21 8:06

Hello my friend

A very fine image of this church/mosque. Maybe one day it will a church again. So much history and beauty. Thanks for sharing this great image. I wish to see it one day.

Jimmy

lousat (139308) 2021-10-21 9:00

Hi Murat,endless show from Istanbl,and this time 3 wonderful pics still from Agia Sophia,what a colors and decorations,not only on the top, but the panel in marble for the incoronation in the best is amazing too! Have a nice evening and thanks,Luciano

Tue (92442) 2021-10-21 10:16

Hello Murat,
There is so much to see, of course the Omphalion, but also the wonderful chandeliers and their warm hues and the impressive walls domes and windows in the background. Very well captured.
Lars

jhm (211736) 2021-10-21 10:24

Hello Murat,

What a lovely interior picture.
We can so much see, with a fantastic light also ceiling with high class, beautiful done.
Nice perspective and depth picture too.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John.

ricardomattos (17460) 2021-10-21 18:39

Hi Murat

Very beautiful and impressive place. Very nice pictures you got. Very well done and also very good notes about it.

Best regards

Ricardo

ikeharel (113411) 2021-10-21 21:34

The chandeliers caught first ateention, Murat.
Than, looking around the decorated walls and domes, we can appreciate the majestic view of the place.
Gunaydin,
Ike

PaulVDV (62970) 2021-10-22 11:30

Hello Murat,
Also in this photo we can see the damaged spots on the walls and the dome. But the beauty of the interior makes it less noticeable than in the photo in your previous WS.
Very good light management.
Excellent composition.
Best regards, Paul

ChrisJ (171878) 2021-10-23 1:42

Hi Murat,

The cyan carpet and the lit chandeliers seem to be the only major changes since I was there in 2014. Good sharpness and framing. Tfs!

mkamionka (74509) 2021-11-01 8:55

Hi Murat,
This picture well demonstrates the richness of the interior. I like especially the contrast between cold and warmly lit areas.
People bring in life and interest without being too disturbing here.
Excellent reportage,
M